The President's Commission on Bioethics is set to recommend federal
funding for studying the health of children born via assisted reproductive
technology (ART), such as in vitro fertilization.

At a September meeting, the 15-member panel, which is deeply divided
over federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, came together to support
chairman Leon Kass, PhD, in his desire to understand what health effects,
if any, linger in children born via ART. The draft recommendations endorsed
by the panel, which was formed by President Bush in 2001, also call for studies
of women who had children via ART.